Night Clubbin
by icea-blaize
Summary: Sesshoumaru feels compelled to learn about Kagome's homeland, which no one has been able to find. So he decides to investigate. Currently under revision; back from hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Night Clubbin'

A gust of wind in the pre-dawn haze fluttered through the silvery-white strands of the Dog Demon Lord of the Western lands' flowing mane. There he stood, still as a perfect stone statue, an expression of deep concentration formed on his flawlessly sculpted features. Hardly moving, barely breathing. He was taking every bit of his surroundings in, yet paid no heed to any of it. The view that lay around him was a sight to behold indeed. Miles upon miles of forest and meadow, covering the landscape in all natural beauty. Off in the distance to the north and northeast stood majestic gray and purple mountains, the sky behind them promising the sun in a few moments' time to begin a new day. Birds and creatures of all sorts were waking all around the countryside and greeting each other in their own respective languages and songs. Yet the demon Lord barely took notice of any of this, for his mind was far away from the scene around him. His thoughts dwelled on a particular human girl with her strange clothes and her non-normal mannerisms.

He subconsciously crossed his arms.

"It is impossible," he said to himself.

"No pathetic human could possibly conceal that which I might seek." A vision of a midnight-dark haired woman-child danced through his mind's eye, calling out his foul-tempered half brother's accursed name.

"And yet, the human miko's origin continues to elude me time and again." For no matter how many powerful demons he called to aid him in his search, all they could conclude was that the miko's village was somehow connected to the bone-eater's well near his half-brother's forest. To allow himself to remain ignorant of the mystery of this hidden village would be foolish on his part as a powerful Lord. He must learn more about it, discover its secrets, solve its riddles. So it was decided.

"I, Sesshoumaru, will find this hidden village."

ﻬ ─────── ﻬ

A faint red-orange glow cut through the dark deep in an un-named forest. If one were to follow this light, they would have found a group of companions asleep around a warm campfire. A passerby would have thought this group to be most unusual. Each member with their own story, all here for the same reasons, more or less. A handful of odd items were scattered about the campground, unique in their own way, for they were not of that time. The owner of these items was slumbering peacefully, laid out beneath a tree, where her faithful part-dog demon companion sat high in the branches above, keeping an ear tuned to any danger that might approach. To the right of the girl lay the monk, appearing to be asleep, and yet inching closer to the peaceful demon-slayer next to him. The little fire-neko was curled up in a ball of white-blonde fur, cuddled into the young fox demon on the opposite side of the flames. Inside his world of dreams, the fox kit was victoriously standing proud over a flattened dog-hanyou, a oversized hammer in hand. Not all of the group were serene in dreams like the young fox-demon was. No, the very solemn houshi was preparing a request for the annoyingly alert hanyou.

"Inuyasha?" he called out quietly. No answer.

"Inuyasha, I know you're awake." Inuyasha snorted.

"Talk monk, you're ruining the peace and quiet." _Idiot monk always wanting something._

Miroku lightly coughed.

"A few days from now marks the anniversary of the massacre at Sango's village." He waited a few moments for comment. There was none, so he continued.

"Dear Sango and I were planning on traveling there to pay our respects." This was going easier than he thought it would.

The reply came quickly.

"Then go. Its not like we've heard about any jewel shards or anything lately anyways." Miroku's voice became light with humorous gratitude.

"How kind of you Inuyasha! I believe that you've grown quite soft from traveling with Kagome-chan."

_Heh heh._The monk smirked dramatically.

Miroku really knew how to piss him off.

"Feh." S_tupid monk._

ﻬ ─────── ﻬ

The morning hours found the group to be going their separate ways. Sango and Miroku were walking off over a hill, an all-too familiar grin working its way across the houshi's face as they said their goodbye's from over the way.

"Bye Inuyasha! Bye Kagome!" Sango called out to her friends.

"Bye! Bye!"

"Later!"

_Watch out Sango._ Kagome cringed.

_Feh. Stupid monk never learns._ Inuyasha crossed his arms.

_Idiot._ Shippo gave a bored look.

All three waited for the fireworks to come.

"Bye Ship…" _pause._

Sango closed her eyes.

Her eyebrow began to twitch.

Her hand reached for her weapon.

_Here we go again._

"HENTAI!" CRRAACK!

She dragged an unconscious grinning monk over the hill.

_Perverted baka._

ﻬ ─────── ﻬ

They looked on where the pair had disappeared from view in mild wonder.

"Keh finally." Inuyasha snorted.

"Now that we're done wasting time, I can actually get going to get Tessaiga repaired…" He paused, seeing a strange look on Kagome's face. Then he furrowed one brow.

"What it is now, wench?" Her nervousness was rolling off in waves.

"Well," she started, "since you're going to be busy…" she paused dramatically.

_Well, here goes,_she thought.

"Could I maybe for just a little while go home now you know only for while Sango and Miroku are gone pleeaase?" She was pleading in a very girlish whine.

Inuyasha sighed.

"I don't care what you do. You'd only slow me down anyways. Kagome squealed in delight, a pitch that made Inuyasha cringe.

"Oh, thank you Inuyasha!" She was wrenching his arm up and down in overenthusiastic gratitude.

"I'll be sure to bring you lots of gifts and ramen when I come back!" Her wrenching continued violently.

"Jeez, wench! I'd like to keep my arm intact if it's all the same to you!" He heaved his arm out of her grasp in exasperation. Kagome giggled and covered her mouth with glee.

Through all of the commotion, the two failed to notice the other pair of molten eyes watching the scene from the shadows.

"Later Inuyasha!" Kagome was running in the general direction of the well, calling over her shoulder.

"Sango said they'd be gone for a little over two weeks, so come and get me when they come back! Bye!"

She waited until he turned and took off down the path towards home.

ﻬ ─────── ﻬ

He silently followed the girl at a distance. The well was in full view now, and the girl's pace had quickened slightly at the sight of it.

He would wait until the last possible minute. She vaulted herself over the edge of the well's rim. Her feet disappeared. Next, her knees, waist, shoulders, finally, her hair…

His demonic speed zoomed him almost instantaneously to the well in time for him to catch hold of her up-stretched wrist, gravity drawing him with her into the dark and suffocating dank depths of the well. Wait, what is that light?

In the instant that the familiar blue light began to enfold Kagome with its pleasantly delightful warmth, she felt a heavy weight above her latch onto her right hand. In an almost dreamlike moment, she gazed up, right into a pair of eyes filled with blue and gold, swimming in a blurry sea of silver, following her descent. Within a blink, the blue light subsided and Kagome found herself laying facedown, rather cozy-like, and securely weighted down. The weight raised itself slightly, and Kagome did the same, turning her head to the side as she did so.

For the second time, chocolate met gold as the pair locked their eyes together for what seemed like an ethereal eternity. Then the wheels began to turn in Kagome's head.

She blinked once. _3…_

She blinked twice. _2…_

She stared inane. _1…_

It clicked.

"KYEEEAAIIII!"

ﻬ ─────── ﻬ


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Kagome sat in her room at her desk, concentrating futilely on the three months of homework and quizzes she needed desperately to catch up on. _Oh man, it is soooo humid today! I know it wasn't like this when I left the Feudal Era. Speaking of which…_ This brought her to her next thought. _These Inu really like to get what they want when they want it, no bones about it. Oh, well. At least this brother is really well behaved. He's just sitting there quietly with a book in his lap. You'd think he'd be all high and mighty about 'this Sesshoumaru does not stoop so low as to stay with ningens,' and 'this Sesshoumaru this,' and 'this Sesshoumaru that.' I wonder what's going through his mind?_

Sesshoumaru could feel the eyes of the miko on him, watching him sit here against her frilly bed on the floor. This was an odd sight indeed, he supposed, for who would have thought that the cruel and heartless demon lord all thought him to be would be calmly sitting here, in the room of a female ningen, studying about _her_ homeland and culture. Although, if he thought about it, it was his future culture as much as it was her present, for he would most certainly live well into and past her time, and it would be all for the better for him to learn about as much of it as possible, before any other powerful demon could, and that would be a great advantage for him in the future. He stole a glance at the girl across the room from him, taking in her attire and demeanor. She had tied back her shiny black hair up high, with the tail ends lightly brushing just below her nape, between her shoulders. Her upper garment, inappropriate though it may be in his time, and that he assumed was just fine here, was made of a light-colored expandable material, unlike that of his own stiff silken threads. For sleeves it had two slim strips of cloth going up and over her shoulders. He wondered briefly if they tore easily. Her lower garment was darker, and yet again made of the ingenious expandable material, (he would have to acquire the secret behind it) wrapped not quite snugly down her legs, and ended at her knees. Then there were the strange contraptions on her feet, which he assumed were modern shoes. He would never, however, wear anything such as those on his own feet, as comfortable as they might look. They were a bright shade of violet, and were as fluffy as his own tail, if not more so. He resisted, however, inquiring what they were exactly, for he did not want to seem any more ignorant of this world than he already did. So he merely settled back on reading his book. Where, he remembered, another word-in-question had been bothering him for quite some time.

Kagome had given up on studying on her homework, which she told herself was because of the ghastly weather. Although, something else had been causing her distraction; it was hard to keep her mind off of the intriguing demon lord by her bed. She should be afraid of him, as many times as he had tried to kill her and her companions, and still, she was watching him as relaxed as can be, not a trace of anxiousness in her nerves. Her mind blank, she just sat there, turned about in her chair, eyes filled with the silver strands swirling around the demon lord's head.

"Miko," his rumbling voice broke through her daze.

_Eeeeeeee!_Kagome froze, eyes wide.

"What is a pho-to-graph?" He articulated each syllable slowly and clearly. It had been troubling him for some time now, as the text repeatedly told him to 'see photograph 4.6,' or 'refer to photograph 13.2.' It was quite frustrating.

She stood from her chair, stretching her arms way up to the ceiling.

"Oh well," she sighed. "I suppose it'll be easier for me to help you study than to study myself." She walked over to the Taiyoukai to sit beside him, folding her legs neatly beneath her.

"A photograph is like a picture, but instead of having someone draw it, a tool called a camera burns the picture onto special paper…"

And so the mismatched pair spent the rest of the evening together discussing modern technologies and ideas. Kagome even got more studying done than she thought she would, without even realizing it, for Sesshoumaru's thirst for knowledge and quick learning got them through a lot that evening, and they only stopped when Mrs. Higurashi called them down to help with supper.

ﻬ ─────── ﻬ

_Chop chop chop._The sound of a knife slicing and dicing resounded through the Higurashi house. Kagome moved from the living room and into the kitchen, where the sound seemed to be coming from.

_Chop chop chop._There, standing at the counter next to the stove, looking extremely out of place, and yet seeming to fit perfectly in place, was the fearsome Sesshoumaru, slicing vegetables like it was the most natural thing in the world.

_Chop chop chop._Kagome watched from the doorway, taking in his appearance. After she had explained to him what a stove was, and that things catch fire easily on the burners, he had been very willing to allow her to tie back his long hair. He didn't like the smell of burnt hair either, evidently. The resulting braid looked very fetching on him, and she loved having the pleasure of running his silvery strands through her fingers.

_Chop chop chop._Coming out of her revere, she wondered how he was progressing with his vegetables. She wandered over to the counter, peering over his shoulder on her tip-toes to see how it was going. He knew she was there, and had been there for some time. He was beginning to think that something might be wrong with how he was preparing their dinner. He turned his head to her, locking his eyes onto hers in a piercing gaze. Her eyes protruded out of their sockets from being caught so close, and all she could do was await his reaction…

"Am I doing something wrong, Kagome?" _Chop chop._Oh, that velvety smooth voice. Kagome sighed casually.

"It's just…I don't understand. How do you make them so perfect?" She was leaned over examining the bowl of beautiful picture perfect sliced vegetables. Sesshoumaru stopped what he was doing to look at her.

"Practice," was his short reply.

"I with _I_ could slice vegetables like that." _I mean, who wouldn't?_ She thought.

"Perhaps you would care to learn the same way I did?" She looked at him curiously.

"Although, my blades are much larger and I usually am slicing up opponents…"

"Uh, no thanks," Kagome backpedaled. "I think I'll just stick to my basic routine. It works so much better for me. Heh heh." She smiled nervously.

"As you wish."

About that time, Kagome's mother appeared in the kitchen with a grocery bag, and with the way she was carrying it, it looked quite heavy. She hefted it onto the counter on the other side of Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru dear, would you mind slicing these vegetables as well? I hope I'm not being too much trouble. You've been such a wonderful guest, helping us with our small dinner." She gave him a wonderful, motherly smile. He nodded, glancing into the sack. It was full of some more carrots and another he faintly recognized the scent of.

"I don't know if you've ever cut into a whole onion before, but you might be careful. They're a bit of a bother." She winked at Kagome. "Thank you again for your help, dear. I'm off to get your grandfather from outside Kagome." She walked out of the kitchen.

Curiously he reached a hand in to grab one of the whitish colored vegetables. He noticed how the first couple of layers had started peeling away in a transparently thin paper material. He looked over at Kagome, who was watching him for reaction. He gave her a quizzical look, which she immediately noticed.

"Those're the onions mama was talking about. They're made out of layers, so when you slice them, they'll fall apart easily. You've probably ate one before in one dish or another. They're very common."

"Hmmm…" He grasped the knife handle tightly in his right hand, and he held the onion on the wooden cutting board in his left. He gently set the blade on the skin of the round vegetable, and with a slight pressure, slid the blade up and through the entire onion in one fluid motion. A potent smell began wafting through the air, tingling at his sense of smell. He took his left hand off of the onion and made to rub his nose, for the smell was actually much stronger than he first thought it to be. Or was it that the stoutness of the smell was increasing? When he brought his hand up to his nose, his eyes began to itch slightly as well. So he rubbed his hand across them too. Big mistake. Instantly tears began pouring out of his great golden eyes, which became red and swollen (not demon red, just painful, eye-burning red).

"What kind of demonic poisoning is this?" He howled. The knife clattered to the counter as he brought his other hand up to wipe his eyes of the offending fumes, making them burn even more mercilessly. It was all poor Kagome could do to stand there and refrain from laughing. She didn't want the impaired demon to become infuriated with her and bring his rage down on her house. She'd like to live in it for a few more years, at least. Over by the doorway, her mom and grandfather had returned. They were standing, dumbfounded, transfixed with watching Sesshoumaru moan and howl, trying desperately to eradicate the pain from his eyes, and at the same time (being the noble figure that he was raised to be) restraining himself from obliterating the entire house and surrounding area.

After what seemed like too long of a losing battle, mama Higurashi took pity on the helpless inuyoukai.

"Oh, you poor thing. Come over to the sink, Sesshoumaru dear, so we can soothe those eyes." With said eyes squeezed tightly shut, Sesshoumaru followed the sound of her voice to the sink, where he was handed a wonderfully cool and wet washcloth.

"Now, gently daub your eyes with cool water until the sting goes away," she coaxed. He began to doctor his eyes as she had told him to. Instantly he felt a great wave of relief from the pain. He continued faithfully daubing his eyes with the washcloth while Kagome finished slicing the rest of the onions, careful not to touch her own eyes. She felt guilty for not remembering to warn him of the onions, but she had to admit, watching him thrash about the kitchen, when he's been through so much more pain that she could ever imagine and not so much as flinched…she glanced over at him by the sink, tending to his 'battle wounds.' _It was just too funny_. Not that she would ever tell him that.

ﻬ ─────── ﻬ

END


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dinner and a Movie

A beautiful sunset filled the western sky. A multitude of fiery shades tinted the horizon, and at it's center lay the half-circle sun, slowly disappearing behind a wall of skyscrapers and ocean, all glowing from its bright, warm rays. With the sun went its overbearing heat, so the night that followed in suit was slightly warm, and crystal clear, with a few stars shining brightly in spite of the city lights.

A light warm breeze rustled by the Higurashi Shrine, ringing a few chimes meant for warding demons as it blew by in an invisible flight. It found a kitchen window, cracked open from the day's blistering heat, so a small tendril split off to venture inside, dancing with silver and black alike before coming to a rest.

—

Kagome was watching the inu-demon's hair flutter in the breeze, entranced by the few shiny wisps that lifted up, then settled back into place. Around her sitting at the table were the members of her family, plus one. Her grandfather had struck up a conversation with Sesshoumaru, who oddly enough was getting along quite nicely with him. After the onion incident, Grampa had thought him to be harmless enough, so he decided to share his knowledge of legends and history of the shrine and family with the Demon Lord. Funny thing was, the great demon was as into the conversation as the old man, and was adding his knowledge to grampa's, making corrections every now and then.

"What do you think Kagome?" Grampa said suddenly.

Kagome came out of her staring stupor in time to see four pairs of eyes all on her, with her chopsticks halfway to her mouth.

_Plop!_ The glob of food dropped back into her bowl.

_Silence._

A cricket could be heard chirping happily outside.

"Kagome?" Grampa was peering at her anxiously.

"Well," he stated to Sesshoumaru matter-of-factly, "It seems as though Kagome's neurachlasmic-optimosis is getting worse. Very rare disease you know. Caused by―"

"Grampa!" Kagome finally came to her senses and cut him off.

"You only have to use excuses for people of this time! He's from the Feudal Era, remember?" Her eyebrow was twitching from annoyance, at grampa's bad memory for one, and at Sesshoumaru's slightly amused face for another.

"It seems to me that this illness is quite serious, Kagome." He had a light teasing to his voice. "Perhaps you need to go see one of your, what are they called, ha-spit-alls?" Since she couldn't come up with a retort, she settled on sulking, her mother and brother burying their giggles into their dinner. She sighed and returned to her dinner, which had become cold.

—

Sesshoumaru continued his enlightening conversation with the elder human priest. Some of these legends he had never heard of, so he would have to locate their origins straightaway when he returned home.

Hiding his amusement at the girl's unsightly look when she had been caught off-guard, (no doubt she had been daydreaming again) had been most difficult indeed, and he wasn't too certain that a tiny amount of emotion hadn't shown on his features. It had been an entertaining moment when she had begun to fume with irritation. He noticed now that she was concentrating on eating her dinner, with her nose stuck slightly in the air. Every now and then he would hear a small 'humph' from her, after which her mother and brother would explode into silent fits of giggles making her nose stick up a little more each time.

Unbeknownst to all, the youngest member of the group was plotting evil deeds against his beloved older sister.

—

'_**SPLAT!**_'

"EEEEEEKK…eewww!" Kagome's face contorted with disgust as she put two fingers to her cheek and scrutinized the mess. Her younger brother's face was buried behind his bowl of rice, snorts and giggles escaping from behind the makeshift barrier.

"Mom! Souta flung food at me! Look at the mess he made!" She stuck the gooey fingers out for her mother to see. Mama Higurashi frowned, but as she was turning to chastise her younger child, a '_PING_' and resounding '_WHAP_' was to be heard, as revenge was taken into Kagome's own hands (and spoon).

"Hey! That wasn't fair sis!" Souta reloaded his fork with some mashed rice. (really, really sticky stuff)

"I'll get you back!" He let it fly…all the way to Kagome's face. _SQUILCH!_

And so the food war was on. Rice, green beans, tomatoes, pasta, peas, chicken chunks, and many ooey-gooey globs went zooming and catapulting through the air across the dinner table.

The other, more dignified members at the table all ate their respective meals in relative calm. They made small talk with each other, as if bellows of "HA!" and "EEEEEEAAIII!" weren't pounding through their ears.

Sesshoumaru, believe it or not, wasn't too perturbed by the waging battles around him. He found it quite natural, for Rin and Jaken were always bickering at each other, and stopped only when they slept, or at least when Jaken was out cold, complements of his boot. No, this little happening wasn't bothering him in the least.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Now we all know that our dear sweet Kagome isn't exactly well known for her spectacular aim. I mean, let's face it, there are times she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. And here she is, trying to fling food from a very small weapon all the way across the table, trying to hit her ever-evasive brother. Things had been going fairly well however, and her next plan of attack wasn't supposed to be any exception.

She scooped a spoonful of extra mushy peas…

Her eyes narrowed to small slits.

She readied the spoon…

Tension filled the air.

She drew back with her finger…

A sweat drop fell down her brow.

She took aim at her target…

The sounds around her became muffled.

Ready…Aim…

_'SSSHINNGG!'_ She let her fly…uh oh! Her finger slipped too soon!

She watched as the flying mass of green vaulted its way through the air. A renegade pea split off from the rest, seeming to have a mind of its own. Time had seemed to stop for Kagome as her eyes and the eyes of all her family followed the innocent pea in its path to the impending doom.

All watched in horror as the tiny pea sped towards its target, landing with a miniscule, and yet somehow earth-shattering, explosion.

_**"SS-PLL-AAA-TTT!"**_

The poor little pea splattered on a very much regal blue crescent moon, leaving icky green flecks on the demon lord's brow and bangs.

In the blink of an eye, the table was empty, the dishes in the sink, and the leftovers put away, all before the table chairs had time to hit the floor, as all of the previous occupants of the room vanished from sight, leaving dust trails in their wake.

—

He hadn't so much as flinched.

He hadn't made to wipe his forehead.

In fact, he hadn't moved for some time.

No traces of red flickered in his eyes, no frown graced his features, no growl emanated from his throat.

The most he could do was blink. And blink he did.

_blink blink_

He was absolutely thunderstruck.

_blink blink_

Completely at a loss for words.

_blink_

He, _blink_, the might Taiyoukai of the western lands, _blink blink_ feared by humans and demons alike of his time for a near millennium, _blink_…

He had just been struck square in the forehead with a pea.

_blink blink blink_

—

Kagome just couldn't understand it. She had expected something, anything to happen. An eruption, a nuclear explosion, a blast that made the earth go in reverse…

And yet here she still was, her house intact, her family unmarred… Sesshoumaru seemed to have done nothing about it. Kagome wasn't even too sure that he even fully realized what happened. After she had cowered in terror in the hall closet, and heard no… anything for a few (okay, a good 20) minutes, she had tip-toed back into the kitchen. Not that tip-toeing did any good, as she had stubbed her toe on a very noisy glass-top shelf with all kinds of rattling trinkets (_How did this get here?_), she responded with a loud "Yeeeoww!" and had promptly clapped her hand over her mouth. So he would have heard her coming anyway.

Peering around the corner, she found him in the same position they had all left him in. He was randomly blinking (_odd…_), the green glob still stuck fast over his crescent. She grabbed a wetted washcloth and wiped the offending blob from his brow and a few stragglers from his silver bangs.

She dropped the cloth into the sink, walked back over to the still-unmoving demon, offered her hand out to him, which he surprisingly took, and led him to the den to introduce him to the television.

—

The light from the screen flickered their faces with a bluish tint in the darkness of the small room. Both pairs of eyes were watching the scenes before them flash by, with one pair moving every so often to take in the emotions barely being contained in the other pair.

Kagome really enjoyed this movie they were watching, but she couldn't help but take her focus from the black-caped superhero to see how her companion was taking to his first ever motion picture. She had chosen an older movie to break him in, because she was sure that the special effects and sounds of some of the newer releases would be too much for him all at once.

His eyes narrowed and a small smirk twinged at his mouth, so Kagome glanced at the screen just as the Joker fell to his doom, his limbs and neck laying at odd angles on the stone steps below.

'_Boys_,' she thought, shaking her head. Then she thought about who it was that was beside her.

'_Men,_' she mentally rephrased.

"What is it that makes the gruesome and disgusting so appealing to guys," she muttered softly.

One bluish-golden eye momentarily flicked her way, then returned to the screen.

"The same could be said for flinging items meant for consumption across a room in a mock battle." His deep baritone flowed like velvet through her ears. She sighed satisfactorily.

"Hmmmmmmm…wait, what?" It took a second for Kagome to register what he had insinuated. Then she blushed and was silent.

'_Well, he's got you there, Kagome.'_

—

He really had to hand it to these humans. These 'movies' were just amazing. Probably the most amazing form of magic he had yet to encounter. How they had gotten these shrunken people to perform these realistic plays was astounding enough, but how they could do it over and over again, the same way every time… it was almost too much for his mind to handle. But he was loving every minute of it. He was so engrossed in the pictures playing in front of him that he wasn't in the least prepared for…**it. **Kagome had got up to go make what she called 'popped corn' (_how does corn 'pop?')_ and told him she'd be back in a minute. Batman had ended, and they were on their second movie for the night, something called 'All Dogs Go To Heaven.' (_what an interesting title…)_ So far he had been enjoying it, at least what he could understand. Gambling, cursing, booze…they seemed more like things his foolish half-brother would do rather than himself. But when the dog…_was it Charlie_?...saved the little girl from the other traitorous weak mutt, he enjoyed the movie all that much more and all thoughts of his half-brother fled his mind.

Smells had been wafting through to his senses after Kagome left the room. It was pleasantly clouding his thoughts, and between that and the movie, he was completely oblivious to anything else. Which was why he was so suddenly caught off guard.

A horrifying sucking and gurgling sound bellowed from the depths of the house, and seemed to be fused with the very walls of the structure around him. He froze, cursing himself for losing his focus, and tried to identify what it was that could be arising from inside. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped, and Sesshoumaru heard no more.

He then heard Kagome's footsteps coming from above, and back down into the kitchen area, when he heard a very loud and obnoxiously high-pitched tone that assaulted his ears without mercy. It sounded three times and was silent. Some sort of door open and closed, and Kagome re-entered the room with a very delectable smelling package. All thoughts of the horrifying creature left, to be pondered on another day. He had more important things to worry about.

END


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: yada yada yada don't own inuyasha yada… :runs away frantically with evil plot blueprints, cackling madly: "YOU JUST WAIT….ONE OF THESE DAAAAYYSSS…!"

**Chapter 4:**

**Bath and Bed**

Well, so much for a peaceful night's rest. There was no way in hell Kagome was going to sleep peacefully tonight. All because a certain dog demon was going to be awake aaaalllllllll night long. Said demon had informed Kagome that he only rested while he recovered from battle. That meant that he would be wide awake for the long hours that everybody else will be heavily sleeping, oblivious to the world and any certain person wishing to leave the house to roam off into the night. Because Kagome just knew that he would stalk off in search of something, anything… a strange sound, an enticing smell, …and there wasn't anything Kagome could do but worry about the 'what-if's.' 'What if' he hears a car go by. 'What if" he follows it outside and down the street. 'What if' it leads him to downtown. 'What if' the police just happen to get involved... The list went on and on in poor Kagome's head, and all led to the destruction of the world and all creatures in it.

Well, the only thing she could do about it would be to ask him what he planned on doing for the entirety of the night.

"Hey, um, Sesshoumaru?" Her voice had come out squeakier than she had intended.

"Hnnnnnn…" was his stoic reply. She took it as he was listening.

"So…whatcha plan on doing all night?" she tried to make it sound casual. Really, she did. She waited with baited breath for a reply.

"I plan to view more of these videos. They are quite fascinating, and teach me much of your culture. Is this satisfactory?" He patiently waited for an answer.

Kagome mentally jumped for joy. Great! That's perfect! That's…."oh boy." She sweatdropped. "I'm turning you into a couch potato. You're going to be a vegetable by the time you go back home." She sighed and shook her head.

Sesshoumaru was bewildered.

Couch potato? What does she mean? And how could she turn this Sesshoumaru into a vegetable? How confusing this era is! His features had formed a frown in his mental distress.

Kagome hadn't noticed the confused expression of her impromptu guest; she was busy reasoning that if he said he was going to watch movies all night, that that was what he was going to do. She could sleep peacefully tonight.

She settled in on the couch beside him to finish her last movie before bed.

After Kagome had bounded off from the den, eager to begin her trip to dreamland, she suddenly remembered something. She popped her head back through the doorway.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru?"

"Hmmmm," he gave a disinterested reply to show he was listening. Kagome took this as she was okay to go and went on.

"There is _one_ more thing…"

A sense of foreboding weighed down on his entire being as he stood before the door. The sounds coming from the other side told him next to nothing, except that _she_was in there, doing some sort of strange ritual she had referred to as 'bath time.' Similar to his own bathing habits, he supposed at first that it would be as relaxing and soothing as he knew it to be. But as she went on in her instructing on how to work the 'tub' and 'showerhead' and the various substances used for cleansing and what each one was called and used for, he feared that his days of cleanliness had come to an abrupt halt…or at least until he left this accursed time period.

At first she had insulted him by asking if he was familiar with bathing. How absurd! To walk around smelling like the foul human peasants he so utterly despised? It was outrageous that she should think something like that. Him of all beings. Even Inuyasha, although he wasn't particularly fond of it, was familiar with bathing. But this had been the least of his troubles.

Once he had learned that he wouldn't be bathing in a proper natural hot spring, he grew anxious. Human bathing areas that were indoors, even those of royalty, consisted of wooden buckets barely large enough for a human to sit in. They were filled with water that had been heated over a fire, and many humans shared this same water, which became filthy, smelly, and cold by the time the last person bathed. And being a guest, it would only be proper that he be the last to bathe. A sign of gratitude, if you will, for the host's being hospitable. But the thought of being last sickened him to no end, so he had promptly informed the girl that he would not be bathing with the family. He would find a natural spring elsewhere in this country and returned when he had finished.

"But, Sesshoumaru, you can't just go up to just any body of water, strip down and take a bath. You'd be breaking so many of the government's rules that I can't even begin to name them all off. Indecent exposure, trespassing, pollution, all sorts of things like that. Besides, natural water isn't as clean as it used to be you know. Indoor plumbing is waaay much cleaner and more sanitary than anything you'd find out there." She had folded a fluffy cloth over her arm.

Sesshoumaru had only understood a small portion of what the girl had rattled off, but he understood enough. Natural bathing had been outlawed? And what was this 'pollution' she had mentioned? So many laws and decrees…how could one keep track? It seemed there was a law for everything. Laws for living, for dying, for eating, for fighting, weapons, clothes, animals, plants, land, water, air, killing…well, he could understand the killing part, but the rest was just unheard of. Why, there was even a law stating that only people with the proper papers could have a house. To him, this was complete nonsense. Any being with the _ability_to build his own house should be able to _have_a house. Madness. Total chaos.

All his worries temporarily faded when he heard that there would be _hot…running…water…_and it would be all his for the bathing…ah, sweet bliss. Til he remembered the time period he was in. He just knew that something…he didn't know what…but something would go utterly wrong at the worst possible time while he was enjoying his bath. And that leads us to where he stood now.

In front of the door.

With the copper knob, that was…turning?

Sesshoumaru jumped back a couple feet, waiting for the unknown. His body held stone-still, every muscle tense with anticipation for what was to come. Suddenly Kagome flung open the door with a welcoming grin.

"Okay Sesshoumaru, bath's ready! It's all nice and hot, hopefully to your liking. Inuyasha doesn't seem to mind the straight hot water, so I figured that you're waaay tougher than he is, so it should be comfortable to you too. Enjoy!" She shoved the large blue towel in his stiffened hand and proceeded to push his solidified self towards the bathroom doorway.

"Remember, shampoo, rinse, conditioner, rinse, body wash, rinse, avoid the toilet no matter what, don't let anything touch your eyes, everything tastes awful no matter how good it smells, and don't, under any circumstances, do _not_ sniff anything directly out of the bottle. Inuyasha did that once and passed out for nearly a day. Have a nice bath!" And with that said she closed the door behind her.

"Surely she doesn't expect me to consume that which is meant for cleansing? I am slightly more intelligent than that." He looked over to what he learned was the toilet. It was… full of water?

'For what?' he wondered lightly. He noticed a lever near the top, and had the sudden urge to push it. Then he chastised himself for his foolish cat-like curiosities. No, he would proceed to his bathing and return to the den to watch more 'videos'.

Kagome's voice muffled its way through the door.

"If you need any help Sesshoumaru, I'll be right here waiting for you to get done. Just beat on the wall or something to get my attention okay?" He rapped on the wall to let her know he had heard.

He leaned over the bathing tub, inspecting the water below. Amazingly enough, his nose detected no impurities; it was crystal clear. Still, he could never be too cautious. He mustn't let his guard down for a moment. He began to mechanically disrobe, pausing every now and then for anything suspicious.

So there he stood in all his naked glory in Higurashi Kagome's bathroom. Staring at a tub of hot water. After a few moments of building up the willpower to get in, he went for it. Slowly but surely he would do this. Place his hand against the wall.

Lift one leg up and over the tub.

Stick a solitary toe in... the water seemed to be satisfactory.

Submerse one foot.

Lean forward, lift other leg over tub.

Slowly submerse other foot.

Lower down into water.

Relax.

"Aaaaahhhhhh…" he sighed comfortably.

The water was perfect.

He inhaled deeply, allowing the steamy cloud to envelop his senses. Exhaling, he opened his eyes to take in his new surroundings. The tub was surrounded by three walls, and the sliding screen he had come through, which was still open.

The walls were a pale yellow, made of smooth, large panels. He looked farther up. Well, the lower halves were. The top of the walls were solid, and were of a lighter shade; almost white. And at the very top, edging the ceiling, was a strip of colorful designs and patterns. Two characters alternated at a steady interval all around the room. They were the kanji for 'peace' and 'tranquility', and were accompanied by a variety of flowers and such. All in all, the room was presentable enough. He nodded his head in approval. This indeed was a much better human dwelling than those he came across in his own time. His mind wandered briefly to his ward and retainer. No doubt, the little toad demon was frantic with anxiety, and most likely chastising the young girl for every little occurrence. The child in turn would be singing a variety of made-up tunes, picking flowers, and badgering Jaken countless times, inquiring about her Lord's whereabouts, and when he would return.

He mentally shook his head, clearing it of such thoughts. This Sesshoumaru did not linger on pointless memories. They served no purpose; solved no problems. He brought his mind back to the matter at hand.

Golden eyes scanned the area.

'Hn…' He spotted what he was looking for.

"Shampoo," he read aloud. Kagome's voice echoed through his mind.

'Now remember: Shampoo, rinse, conditioner, rinse…' Satisfied that this was the first item to use, he examined it.

'Interesting,' he mused. 'A brightly colored container, bearing pictures of a tree and…fruit.' He turned it around, finding a bit of information on this strange substance.

It read:

_**Nature's Wonders** **(R)**_

_Berry Merry Splash_ _Moisturizing Shampoo_ _For Silky Smooth Hair. Indulge yourself in the aromatic blend of_ _freshly picked berries while giving your Mane the parlor treatment it deserves._ _Our special formula_

_-revitalizes dry, damaged hair_

_-leaves it silky, soft, and manageable_

_-is safe on color treated hair_

'Color…treated?' A frown formed in his confusion.

"Hnn…" he read on.

_**Directions**: Wet hair, lather and rinse thoroughly. Avoid contact with eyes. In case of eye contact, flush thoroughly with water._

He read this part twice, and continued down the bottle.

_**Ingredients**: Water, sulfate, sodium chloride, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycol stearate…blah blah blah…blah… _

Three tries later, Sesshoumaru still found that none of that made since to him. He might as well have read it backwards, for it would have done him just as good. He would ask Kagome later what all these things were. Surely she would know.

The very bottom of the bottle read:

_-Best when used with Nature's Wonders(R)__conditioner_ _This product not tested on animals_

_Please recycle._

In any case, he now knew how to apply this to his hair. He examined the top. Figuring out how to work it, he cracked it open…

Kagome was sitting in bed, finishing up a little bit of studying before sleep. Just as she closed her overly large textbook, a 'splash!' sounded from behind the bathroom door. She gave a curious look, set her book to the side and stood up. She walked over and put her ear up against the door. Hearing nothing, she peeked through the keyhole…just to make sure he was alright, of course! Her, Kagome, a peeping Tom? Hah! She gave a nervous chuckle, and looked around in the bathroom at what she could see.

'Let's see…there's the sink, mirror, towel bar, tub…'

A silvery-blue head came barreling up out of the water, along with much coughing and spluttering.

'…' Kagome's mind drew a blank. She watched as Sesshoumaru looked around for a moment, spotted something, and drew a wet bottle of shampoo from the bath water. A few mumbled curses were to be heard, followed by a scrunched nose.

It took the young teen a few moments and a shake of the head to fully realize just what had happened.

'Hnnn...oh!' It hit her.

"Heehee-" she clapped a hand to her mouth, and fled to the safety of her room, still muffling giggles along the way. Hopefully the full-blooded demon had still been too fuzzy-headed to pick up on her outburst, but she wouldn't take any chances. (giggle!)

Sesshoumaru stepped out of the tub, wrapping his lower half in the pleasantly fluffy blue towel. Omitting the few mishaps he had had, it had been a rather enjoyable experience, this bathing in the future. He mind drifted through the past half an hour. The foamy substance the shampoo had turn into… trying to read the 'in case of eye contact' with his searing eyes clamped shut. The wonderfully fragrant smells filling the room from the various soaps he used all over his perfectly chiseled body… the many conks and crashes via slippery tub and skin. Letting cascades of hot water pour down his front to rinse the lather from his mane… spitting the foul poison from his burning mouth with no relief. Yes, he would tell Kagome that it was overall enjoyable and suitable for his standards.

Oh, how he missed his own era!

(_One dried-and-groomed dog demon later_)

A solitary figure sat upon a couch in the Higurashi's den, eyes glued to the television screen.

This was absolutely fascinating.

Nothing compared in the least, in all his years of experience, throughout all his travels.

He was in love….with Hollywood.

After the family had went to replenish their energy for the evening, he had settled down in the den to watch his first choice: George of the Jungle. The cover really hit home for him, as it had a natural setting of a forest of some sort, with a variety of wild animals he had and hadn't encountered. And an interesting title to say the least. He was curious as to which kind of animal this George was; was it the large, gray-skinned creature with ferocious looking fangs? Or the oddly crafted bird with the oversized beak?

'Ugh, offensively-dressed humans. Maybe the George-beast eats them? How delightful that would be!'

However, it wasn't too long before he realized that the male human was the George-beast.

'Perhaps these humans truly think of themselves as lesser intellects than their gorilla brethren? There is hope for this world yet.'

But as he watched on, he could only grow more and more attached to the idiotic male and his female companion. His hatred for the villain also grew, for if there was such a thing he hated more than human filth, it was a crooked, spineless being such as this one. No morals, no honorable traits to speak of; this lowest of low worthless being hadn't a single right to consider himself a man. If only Sesshoumaru were given the opportunity to meet him in real life…

A low growl softy reverberated from deep within his well-built chest.

"A creature truly unworthy of the life he was given."

"BRRRRRRRIIINNNNNNNNGGGGG!"

"ARGH!" Sesshoumaru jumped at the accursed telephone.

"Blasted contraption. I thought humans were supposed to be resting at this ungodly hour of night." He grumbled to himself. The damned device had interrupted a very intimate moment between the jungle boy and his female friend around the fire.

"…"

What was happening to him?

He was enjoying a scene of human courtship?

"Wretched story."

And yet he still continued to watch the lovey-dovey couple before him.

"Not all humans sleep at night, Lord Sesshoumaru," a womanly voice called out to him from the other room.

Mrs. Higurashi came through the doorway in her night-clothes, phone in hand.

"Many humans, I dare say a great deal over half of our population, stay out through the hours of the night. Some for work, others for fun. If you'd like, Kagome can give you a tour this weekend of how some humans spend their nights, if these movies become a bore," She gave him a warm smile, her face tinted blue from the glowing television set.

"If your daughter has no objections, this Sesshoumaru does not reject the offer." He said in his famed tone of finality.

"Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru. I'll ask Kagome tomorrow if she wouldn't mind. Might I suggest that you offer her some assurance that our city will be safe from destruction at your hands? I have a feeling that she was very much concerned tonight that you'd grow bored with our humble home and venture out into the night, and our world would be no more." She lightly chuckled at her daughter's dramatic fears. Surely this well-behaved Lord, who chopped vegetables and spoke with such civility couldn't harm a fly, much less a defenseless person.

Sesshoumaru considered her words, and decided that if Kagome felt it was safe for her to allow him free-roam, she would give a more in-depth 'tour' of their village. Indeed, it would be a very wise move on his part to ease her worrisome thoughts.

"This Sesshoumaru agrees with your request. When Kagome awakens, I shall speak with her on the matter."

"That sounds like a good idea. She may be a little rushed in the morning, just so you know." Sesshoumaru gave her a curious sort of look.

"Kagome has school tomorrow, Lord Sesshoumaru. Has she told you about her school yet?" Mama Higurashi frowned a little at Kagome's forgetfulness.

"No. What is this school?" he inquired. The woman shook her head, and decided to let Kagome answer that question.

"Telling you that may create more questions than it answers, but I can tell you that Kagome will be gone just after dawn until mid-afternoon." Sesshoumaru thought this over in his mind, then asked another question in turn.

"What am I to do until that time? Watch these videos for the entirety of the day? Surely there are duties that need to be seen to around the shrine? Perhaps the elder priest requires assistance of some sort?"

"I'm sure gramps can find something he needs help with. I'll ask him in the morning." She went to leave the room.

"Oh! Here," she hit play on the VCR.

"I paused the show so you wouldn't miss anything while we talked. Goodnight, Sesshoumaru." She left the room.

Sesshoumaru looked back to the movie in wonder. Sure enough, only a few seconds seemed to have passed for the little people, yet he was positive that they had talked for a good twenty minutes. He looked back to where the woman had left the room.

"Fascinating."

-END-


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As the sun rose up over the horizon to greet the new day, Sesshoumaru was watching movies. As doors slammed and several pairs of feet thundered up and down the stairs, Sesshoumaru was watching movies. The scents of various breakfast foods drifted throughout the house, along with shouts and cries of "Time to get up!", "It's my turn in the bathroom, Souta!" and "Oops, sorry Buyo!" Still, Sesshoumaru watched his movies. Just as the ending credits hit as his latest blockbuster came to a close, twin cries of "Bye, Mom!" sounded followed by a door slamming shut, and then there was silence. Sesshoumaru decided that enough was enough, it was time for a break from his cultural lessons and rose, stretching out his long limbs, planning on seeking out the elder priest to discover what needed to be done around the shrine for the day.

Gramps was more that willing to allow Sesshoumaru the pleasure of working for him; the less backbreaking he had to do the better. There were lots of things that needed to be tended to, for sure. By midmorning, the walks had all been swept of debris, the hedges were trimmed, there were no weeds to be found anywhere, the fences were repainted, the shrine roof patched, every pest disposed of (though Buyo almost met his end before gramps clarified that the family cat was not considered a pest). By lunchtime, the entire premises were picture perfect to Grampa's utter delight. Mrs. Higurashi had been watching from inside here and there, enough to know that Gramps had been completely taking advantage of the situation, and thought it best to call it quits for a much needed break for their guest. She opened the back door to call them both inside. A moment later, here came Sesshoumaru. Of course, after a full day of heavy labor, she had been expecting a sweaty, dirty, paint-stained man. Especially sense he had insisted on wearing his own starch-white outfit, which surely would need to be cleaned now. It was so hard to keep your whites white, she lamented. Of course, when she saw him, she had to blink the sun out of her eyes to see clearly, because there was no way. Pristine hair, pristine, sleeves, pristine shoes, she couldn't believe it. He was sparkling clean! A chorus of little Higurashi cheerleaders shouted out in her mind's eye:

"EV-ery MO-thers DREAM come TRUE, WHO do we LOVE? SESSHOUMARU! YAY!" Then they all proceeded to faint away in admiration as little hearts popped out of Mrs. Higurashi's eyes, and she just barely had the sense to let him inside.

"Wow," was all she could say after he'd walked into the kitchen. Gramps came hobbling along soon after, seeing her and shaking his head. He couldn't see what all the fuss was about, he was just as clean and she didn't even pay attention to him.

"Hmph," he snorted with distaste. "See how I get treated around here, Buyo?" The fat cat 'mraow'ed at him and wobbled off for his own meal.

School was over for the day, and Kagome was more than relieved. Keeping up with studies was hard enough, but add in all the drama, it was almost too much to handle. But she had to stick with it! She hasn't been cranking her brain at every possible moment, traveling from time between time and battling monsters and arithmetic alike to quit now! She would get through this, one way or another. Of course, that was before this little mishap of bringing a dangerous demon lord back to the future with her, so maybe she should leave the pep-talks til after she managed to get him back to the other side of the well. Finally home, she climbed the shrine steps to see Sesshoumaru sitting at the base of the God Tree. It kind of looked like he was sleeping, but as he'd stated, demons don't really need sleep.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru! I'm home!" she shouted to him. He opened his eyes and nodded his head in a return greeting before rising to walk with her to the house.

"You're tendency to state the obvious is unmatched in its extent," he drawled. Kagome laughed and shrugged, with a "Yeah, I get that a lot in your time. Mom, Gramps, I'm home!" she shouted as she slid the door open. Sesshoumaru forced down the urge to shake his head and followed her to the kitchen, where her mother had fixed her an after school snack.

"Oh, wow. Thanks, mom. You're the best," Kagome said through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Welcome home, Kagome, and thank you, dear. After you get settled in, I believe Lord Sesshoumaru was asking about a tour around town, if you're feeling up to it?" Kagome nodded, she knew she'd have to do it sooner or later, and she'd rather it be sooner so he would hurry and go back home.

"Yeah, we talked a little about it yesterday, I'm gonna show him what all he can do (and can't do, she mumbled) at night since he doesn't sleep." Her mother smiled and nodded, Kagome was always planning ahead so well.

"That's fine, Kagome. Gramps and I are taking Souta to a doctor's appointment, so I don't know if we'll be here when you get back. Have fun, dear." She turned to Souta, who was busy trying to escape out the back door.

"Souta, be a dear and grab my purse from the hall, would you?" she winked at Kagome as Souta sulkily walked into the hall as ordered, then they all three made their way out the door and into the car, giving a chorus of, "Bye Kagome,"s as they pulled out and onto the road.

"Well, that was sudden," she stated blandly. Sesshoumaru watched as she finished her plate and cleaned up, then walked up to him and appraised his state of dress.

"If you'd like to see the rest of the city, you'll have to blend in; alter your appearance at least somewhat. Not even the wealthiest high class citizens wear anything that fancy," Kagome told him. While Sesshoumaru didn't like having to 'blend in' with humans, it was a comforting thought that even far in the future, he was still far above their best standards. When Kagome turned around to see if he was still behind her, her heart jumped clean out of her chest, which was followed by her eyes bugging out drastically. Where Sesshoumaru was supposed to be, there was a black haired, blue eyed man, wearing a white suit that looked like it came straight out of a magazine. Actually, he looked like he came straight out of a magazine. Kagome's tongue tied itself into knots as she stuttered and stumbled over the many questions rolling in her head.

"Wait, how did you…what did…how could…when?" Sesshoumaru picked a magazine up off the table, and turned it around to show Kagome the exact same suit he was sporting, before speaking.

"I don't possess the same powers as spirits and witches; but as a powerful demon I am capable of performing some basic magic, such as concealing spells." Kagome promptly snapped her mouth shut; of course he is. Is there anything the great Lord Sesshoumaru can't do?

'Besides steal his little brother's sword,' she thought wryly. Well, that was taken care of. She figured that he'd put up at least a little fight. She began to make her way upstairs to her bedroom.

"Just let me freshen up a bit, and then we'll go, okay?" He looked at her, then made his way to stand by the door and wait. She took that as affirmation and went on up, feeling a little anticipation build up for what the night may hold for them.


End file.
